Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Love and Lament ❯ Chapter 13

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

“Husband, please speak to me. We need to work this out, please don’t shut me out.” Merci slumped against the outside of her chamber door. She had tracked Hyperion there and has been trying to get in to speak with him for some time. Hyperion proved to be as stubborn as ever, with the exception of a curt reply to, leave him be and return to her women, Hyperion had said nothing.

After everyone had cleared from the oracle chamber, Merci spent the better part of an hour sobbing uncontrollably. Once she was finally able to talk again, she became determined to find her husband and try to fix things. No, not quite fix, she was sure things have gone beyond that point already. When she saw the look Hyperion had given her in the chamber, she realized that he had somehow found out about her indiscretions with Radiance. It was also clear that the general had relayed to him what she had seen in the pool hall.

Emotionally exhausted, Merci finally succumbed to her sorrow and began to cry again. Hyperion had never been able to deny her when she cried, and although that was not her intention now, it did the trick of getting Hyperion to open the door and allow her in.

“Lady Merci, come in and we will talk.” Hyperion’s eyes were red and swollen from tears; he sounded and looked just as exhausted as Merci. Merci had fallen inward as the door had opened, and quickly scrambled to her feet. She did not fail to notice that Hyperion did not refer to her as wife. This was the first time he has addressed her by name since before they were married. It hurt.

Merci took a tentative step toward him, but he held his hand out in a halting gesture and shook his head no. He had yet to make eye contact with her. “Please my lady, maintain your distance.”

Merci’s heart dropped as she realized that Hyperion was treating her as if she was a noble with no relation to him at all. She had seen him interact with other high ranking individuals with the same courtly etiquette. It was as if he considered his marriage to her over. “Husband, why…”

“My lady, do not address me as such. Our marriage is no longer valid. You… you have betrayed my trust with one of my dearest friends, and again today with one of our comrades in arms!” Hyperion’s voice became strained as several tears escaped his eyes to trail down his cheeks.

Merci wanted to say something, anything in her defense, but knew there was nothing to say. Hyperion looked at her for the first time since she entered the room. His look of indifference was betrayed by the pain and tears in his noble eyes. “I tried to forgive your previous dalliances with Lady Radiance. When you spoke of your guilt in your sleep, I was shocked and devastated, but I could tell that you were repentant. I had the impression that it was not something you would do again. And yet… General Mox confided with me what she witnessed in the pool hall. She said she could have been mistaken, but the two of you had been caught in an intimate position.”

Hyperion wiped angrily at his eyes and turned away from Merci. “I might have someday been able to forgive you and Lady Radiance, but I will not give you a third opportunity to break my heart.”

Merci started to speak, but Hyperion cut her off. “After tomorrows gala I will be leaving with Lady Revian. She has offered me a place of great honor in her tribe, and I have accepted. Go to Vileal or back to Lady Radiance, you are free of your commitment to me.”

Merci was frozen in place. Her eyes became dull and her body shook slightly. She wanted to cry and scream, beg Hyperion to reconsider, but she had done what he had accused her of and there were no excuses. Seeing that Merci had no response Hyperion gathered his meager possessions as he moved to leave the room they once shared.

“I will not be attending the gala tomorrow, please thank Radiance for her hospitality and for accepting me into her family.” With those final words Hyperion left. Merci’s responding sobs could be heard clearly throughout the palace.


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“This is stupid!” The Martian warrior, Revian, groused. Under explicit orders from Queen Serenity herself, the Planetary Guard were sharing her enormous bathhouse to prepare for the grand gala being held to celebrate Hivial and WaterLilly’s victory.

Hyperion was the only one to go against the Queens orders. He had holed himself up somewhere in the palace, and no one could find him. Everyone else was suffering Revian’s ranting. The Martian warlord had been sloshing around and ranting for the last several minutes, to say she was grating on everyone’s nerves would have been an understatement.

“Whatever are you raving about Revian dear?” Radiance casually spoke as she began a suspiciously erotic massage on one of the young attendants she had coaxed into the tub.

“Don’t talk down to me woman!” Revian snarled.

Radiance turned to look at Revian in annoyance. The Martian returned her look with a glare. “I know you noticed something amiss with Lady Hivial. Didn’t you see her eyes? I’ve seen dead men with more emotion then she held, something is wrong and we would be foolish to ignore it. Someone needs to try contacting them again, or Lady Merci’s medical team should leave immediately.” Merci, who sat across the giant tub from Revian, winced at the obvious venom with which Revian spoke her name. Martians were obscenely loyal to their friends and loved ones; when Merci betrayed Hyperion, she went to the top of Revian’s shit list.

“Oh don’t be such a worry wart. Hivial and WaterLilly have never failed in their duty before; there is no just cause to begin doubting their abilities now.” The young woman in Radiances lap let out a whimper as the goddess’s massage traveled below the water. Radiance laughed mischievously as the attendant let out a surprised gasp.

Merci, who was sitting a few paces to Radiance’s left tried her best to ignore what was going on next to her. Vileal’s shocked gasp from next to her finally caused her to glance over to see Radiance wiggle her eyebrows and duck her head under water toward her young attendant’s lap. Vileal blushed hotly and turned away. Merci’s thoughts turned dark as she remembered doing the same thing to Radiance on more than one occasion.

Revian snorted in disgust as she rose from the pool sized bath. “Go ahead then fools, make love, be merry. If something goes wrong, I at least will be prepared.” The Martian mumbled something else as she stalked out of the bathing chambers, a stunned attendant following behind with her clothes.

Again, Merci’s eyes misted up as her thoughts turned to Hyperion. She knew he would have been on his feet immediately agreeing with the Martian. Merci sighed, as she thought back to the transmission Hivial had sent them. Revian was right, there was something off about the legendary warrior, but surely it couldn’t be anything dire. Quickly her mind returned to her husband. ::No:: Merci thought bitterly, ::Hyperion is not my husband anymore, and it’s all my fault.::

Merci began to cry again. Vileal was quick to her side, and held her friend in support. Merci had gone to her after her meeting with Hyperion. Vileal had held her for hours as she cried herself hoarse. Merci knew that it would seem inappropriate to be so close too Vileal so soon after her separation from Hyperion, but right now she needed the comfort her younger friend provided. People could gossip and make assumptions; The only opinion that Merci cared about was Hyperion‘s, and he had left her..

Merci also knew that she could not remain alone; she had always needed someone by her side and now was not any different. Hyperion had made his choice, and come tomorrow, Merci would likely never see him again. Merci, despite her angst was very aware of Vileal’s lithe arms wrapped around her, and the quite whisper in her ear. She felt disgusted with herself that she was already considering taking the young human as a lover. Then again, perhaps it was not so strange, that was after all what caused Hyperion to leave her in the first place.

Merci leaned into Vileal’s embrace and smiled at her through her tears. Vileal returned her smile with a blush. ::Yes:: Merci thought. ::Vileal will be a wonderful lover and perhaps someday my loving wife. No! What am I thinking? I can’t do that to Hyperion, or to myself. Maybe I could talk to him again maybe I can…::

Merci stopped that train of thought, knowing it was far too late for that. Hyperion was no longer her husband, and nothing she could say or do was going to change that.


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“Uhm… Do you mind some company?” Merci looked up from her seat to see Vileal standing unsurely before her. Merci’s breath caught as she gazed upon her friend. Vileal had obviously taken extra care to prepare herself for the gala, and it showed. She wore a pale blue floor length backless gown, her straw color hair had a healthy shine to it and was cascading freely down her back. Normally she kept it up in a top knot, Merci thought the change worked really well for her. After a lengthy appraisal, Merci decided that Vileal looked absolutely gorgeous, Merci could not help but wonder what she would look like in a few years when her body fully matured. She had a feeling that Vileal would be a very striking woman indeed.

Merci had hidden herself in a dark corner of the grand ball room because she did not want any company. She had tried once more to find Hyperion, but had no luck. When he did not want to be found, he would NOT be found. That being said, Merci felt pathetically happy that Vileal had sought her out.

Realizing that she was being rude by not saying anything, Merci rose to her feet and grasped Vileal’s hand. She squeezed it gently as she smiled at her friend. “You look absolutely wonderful tonight. Please, sit with me a bit.” Merci motioned Vileal to the bench where she was resting. Vileal smiled shyly as she returned the complement and accepted the seat.

The two companions sat in silence for a few minutes, just watching the gala go on around them. Dignitaries from all over the galaxy had attended. Venusians, Jupiterions, Mecurians, and even a few Earthlings mingled throughout the ballroom. It was rare to see such a diverse and joyous crowd. Mercury noted absently that aside from Revian, who stalked around fully armed and dressed in her furs, there were no Martians in attendance.

“Are you enjoying the party?” Merci turned to her friend, who was sitting quietly beside her.

Vileal looked uncomfortable, but brightened when Merci started to speak to her. “I… I am not used to such gatherings. I have only been to two others, though they were not so grand. Queen Serenity excused me from the others because she knows I feel out of place.

“Uhm… What about you, growing up a princess, how many of these did you have to attend?” Vileal asked in her timid fashion that Merci found quite endearing.

“I used to attend a lot, but I would skip out on just as many. I would get Bruuna to sneak me out at the first opportunity, and we would go explore areas of my father’s palace that were normally off limits. Since most of the guards were at the parties, we usually had free reign.” Merci smiled at the memory, but it quickly faded as her thoughts drifted.

“I did’nt get to sneak out much once Bruuna moved to my sister’s household.” Merci’s voice broke a bit as she continued. “Hyperion and I used to love attending the Venusian galas. They were always over the top, and we would frequently dance the night away and party with all our friends.”

Merci frowned and her gaze fell to her bare feet. “But, I guess we won’t be doing that anymore.” She fought to hold back another bout of tears.

“May… Maybe we could dance a little? I know I’m not Hyperion, and I’m not a very good dancer, but maybe, maybe it will take your mind off things a bit?” Vileal stammered as she fidgeted with the fabric of her dress.

Merci turned to look at her friend, charmed by her innocence. ::Why not? Hyperion left me, and Vileal is offering to support me through this. Everyone thinks we are lovers anyway, what could a dance or two hurt?::

“I would love to.” Merci rose from her seat and extended a hand to help Vileal up. Vileal blushed but smiled at her friend, happy that she took her up on her offer.

The two women made their way to the grand ballroom’s dance floor. Many couples were already moving freely about the hall in step with the extravagant orchestra and chorus. It took a couple turns across the floor for Vileal to find her footing, but once she did Merci had to admit that she was a very pleasing dance partner. It was a bit strange at first to have to lead, and Vileal was much smaller that Hyperion, but it was still quite pleasant.

It wasn’t long before Merci noticed the odd amount of attention that they were receiving. Vileal began to notice it too, and started to get nervous. Merci realized that most of the galaxy frowned on same sex relationships, and she had been lucky for most of her adult life to be with open-minded people who did not care either way. Tired of the stares and mindful of Vileal’s increasing discomfort, Merci led her off the dance floor. As they returned to their seats it dawned on her that she never had a problem when she danced with Hyperion, because everyone saw him as a man.

“Thank you for dancing with me. I’m sorry I messed up a lot at the end, but so many people were staring at us.” Vileal apologized.

“Oh don’t worry about it. We can dance again at the next Venusian party, I doubt we’d get a second glance there.” Merci paused realizing what she had just said. Not only did she invite her friend to another party, she also assumed that she would be on Venus with her.

::Oh Saturn, what am I doing?:: Merci mentally sighed and shook her head. She turned to look at her friend, who returned her look with a shy, hopeful one of her own. Merci’s heart skipped a beat. ::Why am I even fighting this. Am I that callous that I can move on from Hyperion so quickly? Or is it that I moved on from him when we first arrived on the moon? Damn it, Hyperion, I did’nt deserve you. You were a perfect loving husband and I was… well I did what I did. I love you, but I lost you six weeks ago. I hope you can find someone to love you and treasure you the way you do them. I am too weak to be alone, I’m sorry if it hurts you, but I could have something good with Vileal. Maybe eve…::

“What was that? I’m sorry I was a million light years away.” Merci apologized when she realized that she had missed everything Vileal had just said.

“I was just asking if you were alright.” Vileal clarified. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Sure, that sounds nice.” Merci started to get up, but Vileal beat her to it.

“No, no please let me serve you.”

“Oh, uhm ok?” Vileal was already making her way toward the drinks before Merci could object. Her mind started to turn toward Hyperion again when something caught her eye. ::Oh blessed Serenity, she is not… She is!::

Merci’s eyes widened as she watched “Lord” Radiance, dressed in an extremely revealing Venusian suit, saunter through the crowd toward the young Princess Serenity. She could not believe the confidence, or arrogance Radiance must have to approach the kingdoms most sought after maiden like this. ::Then again, I know she has been with kings, queens, heroes, and legends, and that is just since I have known her. Maybe the Moon Princess is not beyond her.::

“What are you looking at?” Merci looked up when Vileal appeared at her side holding a set of wine flutes for them.

Merci’s eyes trailed up Vileal’s body. She felt both horrible and exhilarated by the feelings the young Earthling was already stirring in her. Acting on instinct she pulled her younger friend to sit close beside her. Merci’s arm casually snaked behind Vileal’s waist and drew the pleasantly startled girl closer to her. Merci spoke in soft tones as she pointed out Lord Radiance; she was very aware of the length of her body that was pressed against Vileal’s.

Vileal smiled nervously, she seemed shy, but pleased with Merci’s bold move. True it wasn’t anything compared to what happened at the pool, but that was under different circumstances. Both women swallowed deeply from their cups before returning to spy on their friend.

“I did’nt know Lady Radiance could turn into a man, I mean I know she is a goddess, but that is just too strange.”

“You should have seen the way Hyperion and I looked when we found out about that little talent of hers.” Merci noted the slight tension that ran through Vileal at the mention of Hyperion’s name.

::I need to watch that around her. I can’t be building a relationship with her while frequently bringing up my previous one. If I am going to do this I need to do it right, Vileal deserves that.:: Merci snuck a look at her friend who was raptly watching Lord Radiance who was well on his way to seducing the young princess.

Vileal, noticing Merci’s scrutiny of her, turned to address her friend. Seeing that Merci seemed fine with how things were progressing, Vileal leaned a little more into her hopefully soon to be lover. “I did’nt know that the princess liked women.”

Merci looked contemplative for a moment as she tried to figure that one out. “Actually, I think that since Radiance is in a man’s body, even though she is a woman it doesn’t count.

“Why do you mention that?” Merci turned a sly look upon her friend. “You aren’t interested in her are you?”

Vileal blushed furiously and lightly smacked Merci’s arm. “No way, she’s my sister, how could you even?”

“Ok, ok!” Merci laughed and playfully fought off Vileal’s mock attacks. “I was just kidding.”

The two friends laughed playfully for a moment, Merci still had Hyperion weighing on her mind, but knew she could not dwell on him. She knew that she was going to be with Vileal, whether it was today or a year from now. ::Why wait another year for happiness just to keep up appearances or spare Hyperion‘s feelings. He‘s already moving on, moving to Mars. I need to move on too.::

Finding her resolve, Merci caught Vileal’s hands and held her gaze until she stopped struggling. Vileal looked up into Merci’s eyes and froze, before swallowing hard and closing her eyes. A moan escaped her as Merci’s lips touched upon hers.

Without really thinking, Merci had found herself moving in to kiss her friend. She knew that it was a slap in the face to Hyperion to move into another relationship so fast, but she also knew that she needed the comfort and stability that a relationship brought to her life. When she heard Vileal moan she could not stop herself from pushing forward and deepening the kiss.

Merci’s blood boiled and her blue skin darkened as Vileal responded to her teasing lips and questing tongue. Both of them gasped for air when they finally broke apart. Once they were finally able to speak again they started to laugh softly, and Merci moved in to claim a few more chaste kisses.

“Wow!” Merci exclaimed when Vileal had snuggled in closer to her, practically sitting on her lap. “Am I ever glad that you like women!”

Vileal chuckled as she leaned into Merci and ran a hand through her long blue tresses. “I like you.” She whispered as she ran her lips across Merci’s exposed neck.

“Oh Poo!” Merci and Vileal jumped as Lady Radiance slumped down in-between them, casually draping an arm across their backs, which was quite a feat, considering how close they were sitting to each other. Lady Radiance ended up halfway on their laps.

“What happened?” Merci managed to ask through the haze of desire that Vileal had started within her.

“Oh things were going great, Princess Serenity loved Lord Radiance, I had her positively charmed. But then…” Radiance huffed and pouted. Her lower lip jutted out just a bit as she stewed over her defeat.

“Then what, my Lady?” Vileal prodded.

“Then that!” Radiance pointed toward the dance floor where Princess Serenity danced with the handsome Earth Price, Endymion. “And call me Radiance, especially if you will be coming to Venus with us.”

Vileal blushed pink and Merci dark blue as Radiance turned a knowing look upon them. “You are coming to Venus after the two of you return from your mission to the outer planets right?”

Vileal turned hopefully to Merci who smiled and nodded yes. Vileal brightened considerably and hugged Merci tightly. Radiance just laughed as she was squeezed between them before beginning to tickle her two friends who squirmed away.

“Ha ha!” Radiance laughed cheerfully. “We should celebrate! Merci go get a couple bottles, then we will retire to my room and leave these…” Radiance waved her hand at the surrounding revelers. “People to their fun and frivolity.

“Come Vileal darling.” Radiance stood faster than either Vileal or Merci could react and started dragging Vileal toward where the blissfully happy Princess and Prince were dancing. “Before we leave we must say good bye to the princess and her beau. After all it’s only fair to cut in on him after he so rudely cut in on me.”

Merci shook her head and turned to fetch as many bottles as she could carry. She knew that Radiance could toss them back, and wanted to have enough to go around. She stopped by the serving area and asked one of the servants to bring her a box and a few bottles of wine and spirits. He looked at her and was going to decline, until he recognized her as one of the guests of honor. Merci shook her head at that, feeling that she did not do anything to deserve that honor.

As she waited for her drinks, Merci scanned the crowd. She smiled when she saw the annoyed expression on the Princess’s face as Vileal and Radiance interrupted them. Prince Endymion of Earth tried to hide his displeasure, and remain polite. Merci thought he was doing an admirable job considering the circumstances.

A small commotion at the ballrooms entrance caught Merci’s eye. She was much too far away to hear what was being said, but she recognized the four men trying to gain admittance. With the exception of one, they were dressed as members of high regard in the Earthling courts, dark gray suits decorated with signs of rank and allegiance. All four of them were armed, and that seemed to be what was causing them trouble. They were Prince Endimiyon’s personal entourage, she recognized them from a briefing General Mox had given on their Earthling allies.

Nephrite stood to the side as the other men argued with the guards, he was an incredibly tall man and easily topped most in attendance by a few inches. Merci pegged him at close to seven feet and it was obvious that even though he was a scholar, he could put many soldier’s bodies to shame. The middle aged human was Endimiyon’s uncle and most trusted advisor; he surprised the courts when he rejected his brother’s offer to succeed him as king, instead choosing to simply advise whoever took that position. Many people were intimidated by him, and it was rumored that he was involved with dark sorcery and had managed to contact and control a race of warriors born from the stars themselves. This was all rumor however, and had yet to be proven.

The famed personal body guard to Endymion stood to Nephrite’s left. Zoicite, was adorned in a white uniform, which matched his pale complexion and snow white hair. He was famous not only for his unequalled beauty, but for his mastery of the saber, and more importantly his genius with the piano. He was one of Earth’s and one of the galaxies most well renowned composers. It baffled anyone who cared to consider why he chose to remain a servant to Endymion when he could have bought his freedom ten times over.

Jadeite and Kunzite argued with the guards for admittance. Jadeite was Endimiyon’s younger brother, though he tended to play down that fact. Merci could sympathize somewhat. Jadeite would never be considered for the throne, so he had to make a name for himself that was not overshadowed by his royal name. The young man had chosen the path of the soldier and was one of the Earth’s most feared generals.

Kunzite, on the other hand was one of Earths most respected and beloved generals. He was Endimiyon’s best friend since childhood and frequently competed with the prince for accolades, sport, and women. Merci had never been interested in men physically, but could see how his handsome face and soldier’s body would attract the attention of many a maiden. He was the most vocal about demanding entrance.

Finally it seemed as if the guards tired of arguing and allowed the Earthlings to enter. Merci watched them with interest as they began to mingle amongst the crowd. Jadeite and Nephrite were avoided as they made their way through the crowd. Nephrite seemed intent on speaking to the Queen, while Jadeite, followed by Zoicite, looked to be heading toward Endymion. Merci lost track of Kunzite, and hoped to get her drinks soon so she could meet back up with her friends. Many people were pleading with Zoicite to grace the gala with one of his masterpieces, but he seemed to be declining. Merci had to admit that she wanted to meet the shy, beautiful composer. She had heard him play on both Mercury and Venus, and very much wanted to speak with him.

Merci watched as Zoicyte and Jadeite approached Endymion and her friends. Her eyes caught Vileal speaking with the princess, and she found herself ignoring everything else. Bits of Zoicyte’s conversation with Endymion registered with her, the rest was lost due to her focus being completely on Vileal. It was not until Jadeite started yelling at Zoicyte to forget it that Merci really started to pay attention to what was going on.

Apparently Zoicyte was intent on having Endymion follow him outside, but Endymion did not want to abandon Princess Serenity, who apparently was not invited. Jadeite seemed to be getting angry with the beautiful composer, though Zoicyte seemed determined to get Endymion to follow him.

Sudden movement out of the corner of her eye grabbed Merci’s attention. She was surprised to see Hyperion dressed in his Planetary Warrior uniform, a dark green suit coat and white slacks. Hyperion had a grim, almost panicked look on his face as he struggled through the crowd toward the queen.

A piercing scream filled the air followed by the chorus of many others as time seemed to still. Merci looked at her ex-husband as he screamed a warning to Queen Serenity who was engaged in conversation with Nephrite. The screams started when the towering advisor unsheathed his broadsword and lunged at the queen. The Great Serenity was caught off guard, the large man thrust forward catching the queen on the side of her stomach. Only Serenity’s supernatural dexterity saved her from what should have been a killing blow. In the blink of an eye, Queen Serenity withdrew a large crystal topped wand from thin air and fired a burst of pure white light into the would be assassin

Nephrite seemed to posses the same unnatural grace as his target, and was able to dodge the full brunt of the attack. Unfortunately for him, merely being clipped by it sent him hurtling through the air and into the masses of panicked revelers.

Merci’s blood ran cold as her eyes followed the soaring assassin. As Nephrite attacked Queen Serenity, Jadeite attacked the princess. Merci screamed a heart wrenching cry, loud enough to be heard above the panicked shouts of everyone else. Vileal, without concern to her own safety leapt in front of the princess, she used her own body to shield her sister from the crazed general’s attack. Merci could do nothing as the earthling’s blade pierced her friend’s heart.

Frozen, for a split second nothing moved. Merci saw in vivid detail as the blonde assassin murdered her would be lover, her best friend. His face became etched into her memory, every blemish, every detail. She knew that given the chance, this man would die at her hands.

Before Merci, or anyone else could respond, a blinding light and a deafening explosion ripped through the ballroom. The screams intensified as the ceiling came crashing down.